Apparatus for sectionizing fruit



June 13, 1967 B. N. WILLJS APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING FRUIT 5Sheets-Sheet 1 p mm m 29,55

o. zmmwkm w ZOFCEIM INVENTOR BEUFORD w. WILLIS ATTORNEY June E3, 196? B.N. WILLIES APPARATUS FOR sacmomzmc FRUIT Original Filed March 9, 1961 5Sheets-Sheet 2 m R mw mm D mw F U E B ATTORNEY June 13, 1967 B. N.WILLiQ 3324312 APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING FRUIT Original Filed March 9,1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN'B'OR BEUFORD N. WILLIS ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 3,324,912 APPARATUS FOR SECTIONIZING FRUIT Beuford N.Willis, Lakeland, Fla., assignor to FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif., acorporation of Delaware Original application Mar. 9, 1961, Ser. No.109,797, now

Patent No. 3,148,717, dated Sept. 15, 1964. Divided and this applicationJuly 15, 1964, Ser. No. 382,724

3 Claims. (Cl. 1463) The present invention pertains to apparatus forsectionizing citrus fruit and more particularly concerns an improvedapparatus for separating seeds from citrus fruit sections, and forseparating fruit section from the core and membranes of the fruit.

This application is a division of my pending application Ser. No.109,797, filed Mar. 9, 1961, now Patent No. 3,148,717.

In the above-identified parent application, a citrus fruit sectionizingmachine is disclosed wherein each peeled grapefruit is held in a fruitholder while sectionizing blades are projected into the fruit andvibrated vertically to separate the sections from the central core andfrom the radial membranes. In actual operation it is possible that,after the blades have passed through the fruit, some of the fruitsections will still have small points of attachment to the membranes andto the core. Also, while many of the seeds of the fruit are loosened andseparated from the fruit during the movement of the blades through thefruit, some seeds still remain attached to the fruit sections adjacentthe core.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved citrus fruit sectionizing apparatus.

Another object is to provide an efiicient seed removing mechanism for acitrus fruit sectionizing machine.

Another object is to provide a novel efficient mechanism for shaking acitrus fruit to complete the separation of fruit sections from the coreand membranes of the fruit.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic top plan view of a sectionizing machineincorporating the shaker mechanism of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective looking downwardly atthe drive mechanism on the top of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic perspective taken looking downwardly at theside of the processing units at stations and 11 of the machine.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan showing a portion of apeeled grapefruit and the operative position of the pins of the shakingmechanism of the present invention.

The sectionizing machine shown schematically in plan in FIG. 1 iscompletely disclosed in my above-mentioned Patent No. 3,148,717 andreference may be had to said patent for a description of theconstruction and operation of any mechanisms not completely describedherein. Accordingly, said patent is incorporated by reference in thepresent application.

In general, the sectionizing machine 20 comprises a fixed base on whicha table top 22 is mounted. Twelve fruit carriers are mounted above thetable top on a turret (not shown) that rotates about a vertical axis 29.A circular tool carrier 27 is mounted above the turret for veiticalmovement toward and away from the turret. When the tool carrier 27 islowered and raised, it moves several fruit processing units mountedthereon into and out of engagement with fruit held in the twelve fruitPatented June 13, 1967 ICC carriers 30 which are mounted around theperiphery of the turret at twelve equi-spaced positions designated asstations 142 in the plan view of FIG. 1. The fruit processing unitsinclude a first path cutter C1 at station 2, a second path cutter C2 atstation 3, six sectionizing heads H1H6 at stations 49 respectively, afruit shaker S at station 10, a spinner T at station 11, and a coreremover R at station 12. There is no fruit processing unit on the toolcarrier 27 at station 1 since, at this station, the only operation thattakes place is the depositing of a fruit in the carrier. Also mountedabove the table top 22 is a fruit feed turret 31 and a transfer turret32. A motor 40 (FIG. 2) is mounted on the upper surface of a toolcarrier 27 and is operatively connected to a plurality of eccentricdrive units 41a-41h for vertically reciprocating the blades of thesectionizing heads H1-H6 and the fingers of the path cutting heads C1and C2.

During operation of the machine 20, grapefruit to be sectionized areadvanced on a supply conveyor (not shown) to a point within reach of anoperator who is positioned adjacent the feed turret 31. The operatorplaces the grapefruit, one by one, on the feed turret at station A, saidturret being arranged to be intermittently indexed through annularmovements in a clockwise direction to bring each grapefruit to atransfer station B where the fruit is automatically transferred from thefeed turret to the transfer turret 32 which is also arranged to beintermittently indexed in 90 increments in synchronism with themovements of feed turret 31, but in a counterclockwise direction. Thegrapefruit is then moved station 1 of the main turret Where it isdeposited in one of the fruit carriers 30. The main turret (not shown)is arranged to be intermittently indexed through 30 angular incrementsin a clockwise direction (FIG. 1) about axis 29 to move the grapefruitsuccessively to the twelve stations of the machine.

The feed turret 31 and the transfer turret 32 are identical to the feedand transfer turrets of the sectionizing machine disclosed in the patentto H. W. Grotewold No. 3,072,160. Since these turrets do not form partof the present invention, they will not be described in detail, however,reference may be had to the above-identified patent for a completedescription of any mechanisms of the present machine that is notdescribed herein in detail.

After a fruit has been processed by the path cutters C1 and C2 atstations 2 and 3, respectively, and has been acted on by thesectionizing blades of the six sectionizing heads at stations 49, it ismoved to station 10. At this time a large portion of the pie-shapedsections of the fruit have been separated from the core and themembranes, but some connections remain. Also, a portion of the seedshave been loosened from the fruit and have dropped onto a dischargeconveyor; however, some seeds still cling to the fruit sections. Theshaking mechanism of the present invention is particularly adapted toengage the fruit at this time and shake the fruit sections and the seedsloose.

Accordingly, while the grapefruit is still retained in the carrier 30 byan inflated gripper (not shown), a group of small diameter pins 50 (FIG.3) are inserted down into the fruit adjacent the apices of the sectionsas seen in FIG. 4, which also illustrates the engagement of fingers 48and 49 of one of the path cutting units C1 and C2 with the fruitsections. The nine pins 50 of the shaker mechanism are arranged in acircular pattern and are mounted on the lower end of a shaft 51 that isrotatably journalled in a rigid support bearing 52 carried by the toolcarrier 27. At its upper end, the shaft 51 passes through a tubulardrive member 55 which is continuously oscillated, in a manner to beexplained presently. At a point above the member 55, a cylindricalclutch member 57 is keyed to the shaft below a coil 58. The oscillatingdrive member 55 and the member 57 are parts of an electric clutch unit59. When the clutch is energized, the drive member 55 is coupled to themember 57 to cause the shaft 51, and the pins 50 on the lower endthereof, to be rapidly oscillated at about 1400 cycles .per minute in arange of from to degrees. This oscillating movement of the pins causesthe pins to repeatedly contact that portion of the seeds disposedoutwardly of the meat segments, and preferably near the outer ends ofthe seeds. It will be understood that, while the shaker is oscillatingand breaking loose the seeds, the inflatable gripper is in the inflatedcondition and holds the separated segments together. While the shaker isstill oscillating, the tool carrier 27 is raised, causing the gripper tobe deflated in the manner explained in the above-mentioned patent. Theshaker pins are long enough so that they are still in the fruit when theholder is deflated. Accordingly, as a last operation, the oscillatingpins 50 jar the pie-shaped fruit segments that have already beenseparated from their membranes but have been held together by theadhesion of the segments to each other. These loose sections then fallonto a conveyor system for further processing.

The drive member of the clutch is oscillated by means of a crank plate(FIG. 2) that is keyed to the output shaft 61 of a drive unit 62. Theinput shaft 63 of the drive unit is driven by a belt and pulleymechanism 64. The crank 60 is connected by a rod 67 (FIG. 3) to a crankarm 68 that is integrally formed on the drive member 55. The crank arm68 is long compared to the throw of the crank plate 60 and, accordingly,the crank arm 68 will be oscillated while the crank plate 60 is rotated.

At station 11, the fruit is subjected to the action of the spinner T(FIG. 3) which comprises a plurality of pins 71 mounted on the lower endof a vertical shaft 72 which is rotatable in a fixed bearing '73. Theupper end of the spinner shaft 72 passes through the drive member 75 ofan electric clutch 76 and has the driven member 77 keyed thereon below acoil 78 and above the drive member which is continuously rotated by abelt and pulley drive mechanism 80 which has a belt 81 trained around apulley 82 that is keyed to the output shaft 61 of the drive unit 62.

When the stripper pins 71 are lowered into the fruit, the clutch 76 isenergized to move the rotating drive member 75 into driving engagementwith the member 77 and cause the rotation of the pins, to strip theremaining meat segments from the membranes.

At station 12, the core and the membranes are removed from the prongunit by means of a core removal unit that is disclosed in the GrotewoldPatent No. 3,072,160.

The control mechanism for actuating and coordinating the power units atstations 10 and 11 and for coordinating the actuation of these unitswith the other operating units including the inflatable grippers isdescribed in the above-mentioned patent.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a novel eflicient apparatus for removing fruitsections from the core and the membranes of citrus fruit, and forremoving seeds from citrus fruit.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been shownand described, it will be understood that the apparatus is capable ofvariation without departing from the principles of the presentinvention, and that the scope of the invention should be limited only bythe scope and proper interpretation of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for processing peeled citrus fruit while it issupported in holding means, said fruit having its pie-shaped sectionssubstantially removed from the associated membranes, the improvementcomprising an oscillating seed striker for loosening the seeds from thepie-shaped sections and for separating some of the pieshaped sectionsfrom the membrane, means for oscillating said seed striker, and aspinner for stripping the membrane from the remaining sections.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said striker and saidspinner are mounted 'on a vertically reciprocating tool carrier, anddrive means on said carrier for actuating said striker and said spinner.

3. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said striker and saidspinner comprise circumferentially spaced pins carried on individualshafts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,129,101 9/1938 Polk 146-32,240,909 5/ 1941 Polk et al. 146--3 3,030,990 4/1962 Polk l463 WILLIAMW. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING PEELED CITRUS FRUIT WHILE IT ISSUPPORTED IN HOLDING MEANS, SAID FRUIT HAVING ITS PID-SHAPED SECTIONSSUBSTANTIALLY REMOVED FROM THE ASSOCIATED MEMBRANES, THE IMPROVEMENTCOMPRISING AN OSCILLATING SEED STRIKER FOR LOOSENING THE SEEDS FROM THEPIE-SHAPED SECTIONS AND FOR SEPARATING SOME OF THE PIESHAPED SECTIONSFROM THE MEMBRANE, MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID SEED STRIKER, AND ASPINNER FOR STRIPPING THE MEMBRANE FROM THE REMAINING SECTIONS.